Can Pets Get Infected By The Ebola Virus?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “At this time, there have been no reports of pets like dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola virus or of being able to spread Ebola virus to people or other animals”.  Some recent studies have shown that the dogs may experience asymptomatic Ebola infections that mean they may have the virus of Ebola, but they do not get sick with this virus. The virus can circulate in animals, but pets have not been a feature of Ebola spread. Furthermore, it is not yet clear whether a pet’s paws, body or fur can pick-up and spread this virus to the people or any other animals.

Ebola is mainly an animal disease. Pigs, horses, guinea pigs, and goats have been infected with this deadly virus. The risk of Ebola virus infection in human becomes high due to the direct contact with infected human body fluids, or through bats or consumption of infected wild meat. In addition to this, some animals such as fruit bats can carry the Ebola virus without getting ill and they could infect others with this virus. Therefore, infected animals that are not showing any sign of Ebola infection can capable of transferring this virus to humans.